ORIGINAL STORY: Authorities in Missouri revealed Wednesday that officers had, six days earlier, investigated a possible sighting of Mollie Tibbetts, the University of Iowa student who vanished two weeks ago.

In a three-sentence statement, Sgt. Joe Kantola of the Kearney, Missouri, police department, said officers received a report July 26 that a woman resembling Tibbetts had been seen at a truck stop. Kearney is just northeast of Kansas City.

After officers searched the area, spoke with witnesses and reviewed available video footage, the department sent a report to an investigating task force, Kantola said.

A spokesman with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation could not immediately be reached to comment late Wednesday. Des Moines television station KCCI reported that the agency was aware of the possible sighting, but that a spokesman could not comment on its legitimacy.

Officials with the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office also could not be reached.

Tibbetts, 20, disappeared after running on the night of July 18 while dog-sitting at the home of her boyfriend and his brother on the western edge of Brooklyn, a city of about 1,500 residents in central Iowa. Her disappearance has gained national attention.

During a news conference Tuesday, state officials said investigators were continuing to follow up on all new leads they received but declined to comment on specific details. Asked whether it was likely Tibbetts had been abducted, one responded authorities "don't know where Mollie's at right now."

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Friends and family of Mollie Tibbetts wear shirts with information about the search for her to a news conference to discuss updates in the search for the missing 20-year-old on Tuesday, July 31, 2018, outside of the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office in Montezuma. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

Kevin Winker, Director of investigative operations at the Iowa Department of Public Safety, speaks to the media during a news conference discussing updates in the search for missing 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts, on Tuesday, July 31, 2018, outside of the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office in Montezuma. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

Poweshiek County Sheriff Tom Kriegel speaks to the media during a news conference to discuss updates in the search for missing 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts, on Tuesday, July 31, 2018, outside of the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office in Montezuma. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

Friends and family of Mollie Tibbetts walk into the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office before a news conference to discuss updates in the search for the missing 20-year-old on Tuesday, July 31, 2018, in Montezuma. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

Kevin Winker, Director of investigative operations at the Iowa Department of Public Safety, speaks to the media during a news conference discussing updates in the search for missing 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts, on Tuesday, July 31, 2018, outside of the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office in Montezuma. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

Friends and family of Mollie Tibbetts wear shirts with information about the search for her to a news conference to discuss updates in the search for the missing 20-year-old on Tuesday, July 31, 2018, outside of the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office in Montezuma. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

FBI Special Agent in Charge Randy Thysse speaks to the media during a news conference to discuss updates in the search for missing 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts, on Tuesday, July 31, 2018, outside of the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office in Montezuma. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

Local and national media and members of the community gather outside the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office during a news conference to discuss updates in the search for missing 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts on Tuesday, July 31, 2018, in Montezuma. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

Kevin Winker, Director of investigative operations at the Iowa Department of Public Safety, speaks to the media during a news conference discussing updates in the search for missing 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts, on Tuesday, July 31, 2018, outside of the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office in Montezuma. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

Kevin Winker, Director of investigative operations at the Iowa Department of Public Safety, speaks to the media during a news conference discussing updates in the search for missing 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts, on Tuesday, July 31, 2018, outside of the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office in Montezuma. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

Kevin Winker, Director of investigative operations at the Iowa Department of Public Safety, speaks to the media during a news conference discussing updates in the search for missing 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts, on Tuesday, July 31, 2018, outside of the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office in Montezuma. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

Poweshiek County Sheriff Tom Kriegel speaks to the media during a news conference to discuss updates in the search for missing 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts, on Tuesday, July 31, 2018, outside of the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office in Montezuma. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

Kevin Winker, Director of investigative operations at the Iowa Department of Public Safety, speaks to the media during a news conference discussing updates in the search for missing 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts, on Tuesday, July 31, 2018, outside of the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office in Montezuma. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

FBI Special Agent in Charge Randy Thysse and Poweshiek County Sheriff Tom Kriegel listen to the discussing discuss a news conference about the search for missing 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts, on Tuesday, July 31, 2018, outside of the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office in Montezuma. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

Kevin Winker, Director of investigative operations at the Iowa Department of Public Safety, speaks to the media during a news conference discussing updates in the search for missing 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts, on Tuesday, July 31, 2018, outside of the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office in Montezuma. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

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Poweshiek County Sheriff Thomas Kriegel said more than 200 leads had been followed up on that included ground, air and K-9 unit searches. As many as 40 investigators have worked on the case each day, he said.

"Everybody wants to find Mollie and, at this point, we're doing everything we can to make that happen," Kevin Winker, director of investigative operations at the Iowa Department of Public Safety, told reporters. "Our focus right now is to find Mollie."

Investigators, with the help of FBI forensic experts, were tracking Tibbetts' digital footprint. That effort included sifting through data from her cellphone, social media accounts and a Fitbit, a physical activity tracker.

State officials have said they are pursuing all leads and have conducted multiple searches. Last week, the DCI said detectives have not identified any suspects in Tibbetts' disappearance.

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Kevin Winker, from the Iowa Department of Public Safety, gives an update to the media in the search for Mollie Tibbetts.
Kelsey Kremer, kkremer@dmreg.com

After hundreds of volunteers turned out to comb through cornfields and the rural roads of Poweshiek County, those search efforts were deserted last week in favor of investigative experts retracing areas she frequently ran.

In Brooklyn, posters covered businesses, vehicles and light poles throughout the community about 70 miles east of Des Moines, displaying photographs of Tibbetts smiling in her senior portraits or at a Hawkeye football game.

Tibbetts, who was born in San Francisco but moved to Brooklyn with her mother when she was in the second grade, is known for her infectious smile and positive attitude. She studied psychology at Iowa after graduating from the local high school in 2017, where she ran track and competed on the debate team.

Car magnets printed by Live Now Designers in Brooklyn, Iowa, pictured on July 22, 2018. Community members continue to search for Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old Iowan who was last seen on July 18, 2018. Matthew Leimkuehler/The Register

A poster found on the store front of Live Now Designs on downtown Brooklyn, Iowa, as pictured on July 22, 2018. Community members continue to search for Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old Iowan who was last seen on July 18, 2018. Matthew Leimkuehler/The Register

Jake Tibbetts, brother to Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old University of Iowa student who went missing about a week ago, gives an interview on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, in Brooklyn. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

A poster with information about Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old University of Iowa student who went missing last week, hangs in the window on a business in downtown Brooklyn on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, in eastern Iowa. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

A poster with information about Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old University of Iowa student who went missing last week, hangs in the window on a business in downtown Brooklyn on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, in eastern Iowa. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

A poster with information about Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old University of Iowa student who went missing last week, hangs in the window on a business in downtown Brooklyn on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, in eastern Iowa. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

A poster with information about Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old University of Iowa student who went missing last week, hangs in the window on a business in downtown Brooklyn on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, in eastern Iowa. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

A poster with information about Mollie Tibbetts, a missing 20-year-old University of Iowa student, hangs in the window on a business in downtown Brooklyn on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, in eastern Iowa. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

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The avid runner stands at 5-foot-3 and weighs 120 pounds. She was wearing dark-colored running shorts, a pink sports top and running shoes of an unknown color when she was last seen.

Despite concerns spurred by Tibbetts' disappearance, state investigators have said the number of missing juveniles reported in Iowa in recent weeks was in line with historical trends. The vast majority are found or returned home within 24 hours.

Authorities are asking anyone with information about Tibbetts to contact the Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office at 641-623-5679 or tips@poweshiekcosheriff.com.